DUNLOY’S Keelan Molloy feels that Sunday’s testing county final with Cushendall will stand them in good stead as the Cuchullain’s enter the unforgiving environs of Ulster hurling again.
Dunloy await the winners of the provincial semi-final between Derry champions Slaughtneil and Down champions Portaferry – with the final scheduled for the weekend of December 3/4.
Cushendall provided the defending Antrim champions with their toughest test during their imperious four-year reign.
Dunloy recovered to win by six points after coughing up two first-half goals to Cushendall in Sunday’s thrilling decider at Corrigan Park.
Voted man-of-the-match after hitting three crucial points, Molloy said: “That’s the sort of game we’ll be getting in Ulster and it will help us, hopefully we can learn from that and push on in Ulster.
“It’s something we always want to do and that voodoo of not getting over Slaughtneil over the last couple of years is really driving us on at this stage. We’ll put everything into it whoever we get in the Ulster final – Slaughtneil or Portaferry.”
Molloy described winning four-in-a-row as “unreal” and that he was now on a par with his father Paul who was part of the great Cuchullain’s side that also won four-in-a-row at the start of the ‘Noughties’.
“It’s a great achievement for anyone to do it,” said the county ace.
“I think my Da did it and [before] he’d keep me going, saying that I’m not as good as him! We’ll see what he says now.”
